Programme for the Prevention of Child Trafficking and CSEC

Since 2014, Center for Girls has worked on programmes for the prevention of child trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children, sponsored by the German organisation Kindernothilfe. This project consists of various activities to prevent and report child trafficking and child abuse, to raise awareness about these issues and to make both children and adults more informed about their rights. These activities include workshops, trainings in schools, an online campaign for children and teens, spreading information through flyers and posters, and the business owner network.

Business Owner Network

The business owner network was created in 2017 and CFG continuously works on its development. It is a network of owners and employees of businesses that are essential actors in the signalling and prevention of human trafficking. Examples of these businesses are bus companies, tuk-tuk drivers, restaurants, karaoke bars and massage parlours. The businesses that are part of the network have agreed not to take part in human trafficking and to look out for and report cases of human trafficking. They can report to either Center for Girls or to the immigration office directly.

P’Loy giving the participants an introduction to the workshop

The Workshop

In order to further develop the business owner network and the skills of its participants, Center for Girls organises workshops. On the 8th of April, the first of a three–part series of workshops for restaurant owners and employees was organised. There were five restaurant owners and 35 employees present at the workshop, the majority of whom were women. CFG provided the participants with information about human trafficking, child labour laws, and the laws regarding these issues. The participants were given the phone numbers to directly report (suspected) human trafficking or child labour and it was explained to them how both CFG and the Immigration office could help. Besides this, it was explained to the network which signs to look for when they suspect a case of human trafficking or CSEC, such as facial expressions and if someone looks lost, scared or insecure.

The participants are drawing and writing about themselves and their dreams in order to get to know each other

Problem Tree

Furthermore, the participants brainstormed together in order to create a problem tree. In this problem tree, the most important problems, their causes, and their impacts regarding human trafficking and CSEC would be outlined. The participants also discussed the four most important problems, which are:

Child marriage;

The risks of internet, social media and online (un)safety;

Family issues, such as children who grow up without parents or who are not looked after sufficiently. Often, they live with their grandparents who are not always able to teach them how to stay out of trouble;

Drunk driving, issues with drugs, alcohol and smoking.

Ploy Sai discussing the problem tree

In future workshops, the network will identify the causes and impacts of these problems as well as think of solutions to them. The next workshop will be on the 5th of May.

Overall, it was a successful workshop which caused increased awareness of human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children, its dangers, and most importantly how to prevent this and help victims.